


Did You(r Heart) Forget (Me)?

by rhyaenv



Series: It Was (And Will Always Be) You [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alpha Bucky Barnes, Alpha Natasha Romanov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, Beta Sam Wilson, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Drabble Collection, Emotional Hurt, Ficlet Collection, Hurt Steve, Hurt Steve Rogers, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Not Beta Read, Omega Steve, Omega Steve Rogers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Relationship, Tags May Change, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-05-21 07:52:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14911361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhyaenv/pseuds/rhyaenv
Summary: The moment Steve sees thatBuckyis the one behind the mask of the Winter Soldier, his entire world is upended.





	1. Reunited

**Author's Note:**

> The second fic in the ["It Was (And Will Always Be) You"](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1044650) series (the first is ["It's You (But I Can't Let You Know)"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14785950)). This fic is comprised of four small ficlets, each one taking place at different points during the _Captain America: The Winter Soldier_ movie, and each being its own separate chapter. 
> 
> If you guys like this fic, please leave me a comment down below! ♥

“Who the hell is Bucky?”

Steve never imagined five words could so easily shatter what little hope and joy had begun to take root in his chest after he’d seen who the face behind the mask of the Winter Soldier belonged to. By some impossible yet divine miracle, Bucky was _alive_ and standing less than a handful of feet away from Steve. Yet as soon as the alpha had spoken those five words and pointed a gun at him before he’d even finished the question, the omega swore he could hear his heart break over the loud thrumming of blood in his ears. 

Just as Steve was about to say that _he_ was Bucky, his body itching to approach the alpha despite how a part of his mind was screaming that the alpha before him, while wearing the face of his best friend, was still _dangerous_ and, as he had obviously shown just minutes ago, would clearly not hesitate to truly hurt him, Sam came flying in, pushing Bucky away before the alpha dared shoot him.

They made eye contact again after the alpha got back up, but just as Bucky raised and pointed his gun back at Steve yet again, and right before the omega attempted to call out Bucky’s name again, the burgundy truck next to the alpha exploded. Startled, Steve felt his heart stutter to near complete halt in horror, his chest growing unbearably tight as he took in the sight of the flames and smoke. An burst of anger suddenly flared up inside Steve, and he promptly turned around, his eyes narrowed into piercing glares to try and see who’d dared to shoot at Bucky. Only to find Natasha leaning against a vehicle a distance behind him with a grenade launcher in her arms. 

When Natasha caught his gaze and sent him a frown and a raised, questioning brow in return, Steve instantly turned back around to search for Bucky, to make sure he was okay, but just like that, when the smoke began to clear, with a heavy heart, Steve realized the alpha was already long gone. 

Not seconds later, when the HYDRA agents came rushing in, immediately surrounding them, Steve knew there was no way there were getting out. Letting out a weary breath of air as his shoulders drooped in resignation, Steve slowly placed his shield on the ground and then brought his hands up to signal his surrender. 

But the moment after he did so, the omega allowed himself to withdraw into his mind to try and hold himself together, to truly process just what exactly he’d seen and experienced, the new information he’d come to learn. The omega became so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t even resister the forceful way Rumlow handled him, the sharp pain that shot up his legs and arms when he was forced down to kneel on the ground and his arms were pulled behind his back and then handcuffed. Steve didn’t even notice when he’d then been pulled back up and shoved into the back of a vehicle after Sam and Natasha. 

Instead, all Steve could think of was Bucky. How, against all odds, Bucky had survived the fall back at the ravine. How his best friend was so very clearly alive, even after those years as well. How Steve wasn’t truly alone in this present time anymore. How Bucky had been right there, so close that Steve had been able to _feel_ the alpha’s solid presence during their fight, enough to know and assure himself that, no, the alpha _wasn’t_ a phantom conjured by his own mind. But the reality as to _how_ that was all even possible to begin with twisted Steve’s heart in concern and sorrow. 

Because Bucky was the _Winter Soldier_. 

Somehow, his best friend had been found after his fall and forced (and Steve was _absolutely sure_ that was the case) to work and kill for HYDRA for who knew how long, and he was _still_ under their control. HYDRA forged Bucky into their weapon, to use the alpha when and how they pleased, and the thought of that both pained and enraged Steve and his inner omega to the point that he desperately wanted nothing more than to go back in time and find those who’d done this to his best friend and tear them to shreds with his bare hands. 

It also didn’t escape Steve’s notice that during their fight, Bucky’s alpha scent had been completely suppressed. So much so that when he’d first begun to fight with the Winter Soldier, Steve had assumed the person behind the mask to be a beta, given the unsettling and unnatural absence of _any_ type of dynamic pheromones. 

But, most painful of all, was the realization that Bucky didn’t seem to remember Steve, much less his own name. The blank, yet almost confused look in the alpha’s eyes when Steve had called out his name now haunted the omega’s thoughts. How there’d been no flicker of recognition in Bucky’s icy blue eyes as they stared right at him. 

Steve had no idea what exactly HYDRA had done to the alpha to make him forget, and to so completely block his scent, but he swore to himself then that, no matter what it took, he’d free Bucky from HYDRA and take him somewhere safe, somewhere where Bucky could start to recover from whatever the hell HYDRA had done to him. And, if Bucky was willing, Steve would gladly stay by Bucky’s side and help the alpha to try and recall as many of his past memories as best as he possibly could. 

Any feelings Steve had that might’ve resurfaced after seeing Bucky’s face, for now, would have to be ignored, quelled, locked down so completely that any hint of them would be unable to seep back into his present, conscious thoughts. Steve could _not_ afford to let them get in the way of things now. 

Though he, along with Natasha and Sam, now had to deal with this S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA mess, Steve’s mind and heart were in agreement on one thing—above all, Bucky was his priority.

Everything else fell second.


	2. He Will (Remember)

“He’s gonna be there, you know,” an unexpected, familiar voice pulled Steve from his thoughts. 

The omega turned around to find Sam walking up to him, the beta only stopping when they were standing about a meter apart.

“I know,” Steve admitted softly as he fixed his gaze forwards, back towards the tall trees surrounding them. 

“Look,” the beta began in a careful, steady voice, “I can see the guy means a lot to you, but he’s not the same person you knew from back then. Given what we saw and actually dealt with earlier…Cap, I don’t think he’s the kind you save.” There was a stifling pause then, and Steve clenched his hands as they rested by his sides in response to Sam’s final words. “He’s the kind you stop.” 

For a split second, as Steve’s mind registered the beta’s words and their meaning, his inner omega wanted nothing more than for Steve to whip around and bare his teeth at the beta. To yell at him, to hurt him for daring to say those words about Bucky. The words were resting on the tip of his tongue, ready to inform Sam that he wasn’t going to allow _anyone_ to truly harm Bucky, much less to _kill_ him—not even them. That if anyone even dared to try, they were going to have to do so over _Steve’s_ dead body. 

Instead, Steve took in a long, deep breath of air and suppressed the clawing urge to do any of those things. When he felt the rage of his inner omega abate moments later, Steve replied in a calm, steady voice as he continued looking ahead, “I don’t think I can do that, Sam.” 

“Well…” the beta let out a sigh, “he might not give you much of a choice.” 

Steve bit his lip to stop himself from saying something crazy, like— _I’d much rather die than kill Bucky._

“Steve,” Sam added in a quieter voice, “he doesn’t know you.”

The words were a crushing reminder, striking the omega as if they were a direct blow to the chest, right above where his heart was. While his inner omega let out a faint whine, Steve felt his heart lurch and sink as he thought back to Bucky’s confused, unfazed expression when he’d called out his name, the absolute lack of recollection as the alpha looked back at him. 

Steve swallowed and was thankful when his voice failed to waver as he replied, “He will.”


	3. “’Cause I’m with ya till the end of the line.”

As soon as he heard a tiny clink and realized the alpha had dropped the chip, Steve immediately let go, pushed Bucky’s body off his own, grabbed the square chip, and raced back up towards the part of the tower housing all the other chips. But just when he was a few feet away from the center structure, he felt a cutting twinge across the back of his thigh. It was completely unexpected and sharp enough to send him toppling forwards, until his knees crashed hardly onto the platform he’d been standing on. Though the pain flared around the entry wound, Steve clenched his jaw and did his best to ignore it as he stuffed the chip safely into his belt pocket and pushed himself back up so that he could start climbing his way up towards his goal. 

“Thirty more seconds, Cap,” came Hill’s worried voice from the tiny earpiece in his ear, just as he stood on the platform where the chips were located inside the tower. 

“Stand by,” the omega replied before he grit his teeth and reached into the pocket around his uniform’s belt to pull the chip back out. 

“Charlie—” Yet Steve was unable to finish his sentence, because in that same second another shot echoed inside the helicarrier, and not a beat later there was another smarting pain, this time powerful enough to steal his breath away and send him toppling down until he was sitting on the floor. The omega’s gaze fell down and he quickly took notice of the blood staining the outside of his suit, right above where his stomach was. 

For a few moments, Steve merely sat there, listening to the rushing of blood in his ears, taking in short, ragged breaths of air. Then, steeling himself for the pain that was more than sure to come, the omega took in a deep breath of air just before he grabbed onto the tower and used it to haul himself back up.

When he inserted the chip into the empty slot and heard the affirmative beep, he breathed out, “Charlie, lock.”

“Okay, Cap,” there was a relieved breath of air, “now get the hell out of there.” 

Steve knew there wasn’t going to be enough time for that. 

“Fire now.” 

“But Steve—” Hill quickly began, but the omega rushed to cut her off. 

“Do it!” Steve ordered sternly. “Do it now!” 

There was silence, and moments later, as the helicarrier was being shot at by another helicarrier, was slowly starting to fall apart, Steve limped down the platform until he was leaning heavily against the railing, looking down. The omega had heard Bucky’s cry moments ago, yet only now could he see the alpha down there, trapped under a large fallen beam, futilely trying to push the leaden object off of him so he could get out. The sight of it made Steve’s heart twist and lurch, and before his inner omega could cry out and plead him to help the alpha, Steve was already making his way towards Bucky. 

Uncaring of the dangers surrounding them as the helicarrier began to fall apart all around them, and continuing to ignore the throbbing pain all across his body, Steve allowed himself to fall until he crashed into the glass bottom of the carrier some feet away from the alpha. He slowly made his way over to where the alpha was pinned, and once Steve reached Bucky, he bent down and began to pull the beam up with as much force as he could manage. The exertion sent dizzying waves of pain all across his body, centered especially where he’s been shot and stabbed, but the omega merely grit his teeth and did his best to ignore the throbbing flares of pain that wrecked his body. Thankfully, with Steve’s aid, the alpha was soon able to pull himself from under the beam. 

There was a tense lull between them then, as they merely stared at one another, but then it was broken when Steve leaned forwards, towards Bucky, and stated in a firm voice that sounded far more confident that the omega genuinely felt, “You know me.”

Yet the instant they were both able to stand up, Bucky swung his metal arm at Steve, punching the omega’s shield with enough force to send Steve fly a few feet back as the alpha yelled out vehemently, “No, I don’t!” 

Pain flared up across Steve’s back and chest as he fell back and collided harshly with the helicarrier’s glass flooring. He took in a few more breaths of air to strengthen himself before he forced himself back up. Distantly, the omega wondered if it was desperation, and not determination, that made him take a few slow, careful steps towards the alpha. Steve couldn’t deny how he yearned to be near the alpha, despite the warning voice in the back of his mind telling him that Bucky was still dangerous, that he clearly wouldn’t hesitated to hurt him _again_. 

“Bucky…” Steve tried to keep his voice even, but with the dizzying pain, and the throbbing ache in his chest, the name fell from his lips more like a pained whisper, “you’ve known me your whole life.”

But the alpha only swung his metal arm to punch Steve again in response, this time managing to actually strike him across the face. Instantly, the taste of blood filled the omega’s mouth. 

“Bucky, please…” Steve quietly pleaded as he got back up and made sure to stare into the alpha’s steely blue eyes before he continued. “Your name is James Buchanan Barnes. We’ve been best friends since you—”

“Shut up!” Bucky cried out, cutting Steve off as he once again punched the omega’s shield with as much force as he could muster. Steve went flying back, his body twisting mid-air so that when he fell back down, he did so face first. Though the omega’s arms and knees were able to break his fall, Steve felt his heart shatter. It seemed almost like Bucky didn’t want to remember him, like he was fighting, resisting Steve’s attempt to reach out and reconnect, and that made the omega’s heart clench in fearful despair. 

A wave of numb resignation seemed to wash over Steve, but even so, he forced himself to get back up. The omega quickly took off his mask and threw it to the floor before meeting the alpha’s gaze once more. “I’m not gonna fight ya, Bucky.” Then, as he kept his eyes trained on Bucky, he let out a sharp exhale and loosened the grip on his shield, not caring to see his shield even as it slipped right through the gap in the glass flooring by his side and fell into the fray below the collapsing helicarrier. 

“You…” Steve swallowed past the lump in his throat and attempted to ignore the twinge of hurt that tugged at his heart as he said his next words, “Bucky, you’re my friend.” 

The final word seemed insufficient, but it was the best word Steve could come up with in that moment. The terms his heart yearned to say—mate, lover, bondmate, _soulmate_ —would all be a lie, but everything else didn’t fit, and given the state of Bucky’s seemingly nonexistent memories of them, Steve feared the alpha’s reaction to something more accurate like ‘ _we’ve been best friends since we were kids, Buck, you’ve had by back for as long as I can remember—god, Bucky, I never said it, but you mean more than the world to me, even now_ ’. 

There was a moment then, over the sounds of chaos around them, where the alpha merely gazed back at him, and Steve wondered if Bucky might stop, if he might hold back and try to hear him out, to give him a chance to explain. But, to the omega’s disappointment, Bucky instead charged right towards him, wrapping his arms around Steve’s waist and shoving him back until they fell and the omega was pinned behind him. 

The air was forced out of Steve’s lungs as another sharp wave of pain washed over him. But even so, Steve didn’t struggle, didn’t shove Bucky off him, didn’t fight back. Though his entire body ached, in that moment, Steve couldn’t help but revel in the feeling of Bucky looming right above him. It pained his heart to know that he’d failed to reach Bucky, to bring him back, but if this what the last thing he’d see, experience, then Steve was fine with it. For even over the material of his uniform, Steve could feel the pressure, the faint warmth of Bucky’s right hand on his chest, right above where his heart was. 

“No, you’re my _mission_ ,” the alpha spat out in reply before he raised his metal arm and brought it down to strike the omega’s face repeatedly. 

“You’re,” Bucky hit Steve’s face, “my,” the alpha watched as Steve did nothing to stop him as he continued to punch him, “mission!” 

Yet the moment the alpha raised his arm back up moments later, he hesitated, paused, unsure of what he was doing, and through the pained, dizzying haze of his own mind, Steve immediately added in a faint, breathy whisper, “Then…finish it… ‘Cause I’m with ya till the end of the line.” 

Given the swelling in his left eye, and the overpowering pain he was in, Steve’s blurry vision didn’t allow him to see the way sudden realization dawned in the alpha’s eyes, the way the alpha slowly brought down his metal arm, the way Bucky’s blue eyes gleamed with unshed tears as they stared down in horror at the omega’s injured face. 

Before either man could say or do anything else, another large beam came falling from above, landing some meters away from them, breaking the glass structure below them. 

Steve distantly heard the crash, the shattering of glass, but everything felt muffled, distant, as he were hearing the sounds through tightly covered ears. Then, there was the distinct feeling that he was falling. But the omega couldn’t tell if he truly was or not, his body too tired to even keep his eyes open any longer. 

The darkness welcomed him, luring him to a place where he ceased to be, and soon, Steve felt himself slipping, fading away, until he could feel nothing more.


	4. When Do We Start?

“That thing you asked for,” Natasha pulled out a manilla folder and handed it over to Steve, “I called in a few favors from Kiev.” When Steve took the folder, she added with a smile, “Now will you do me a favor? Call that nurse, alright?”

“She’s not a nurse,” was Steve’s quick, mechanical reply as his gaze immediately fell down on the indecipherable Cyrillic words printed on the folder’s cover. 

The statement wasn’t a lie, yet given the events leading up to them standing before Fury’s false gravestone, the omega was hesitant to let the red-haired alpha know that he had absolutely no thought of calling the blond alpha, or anyone else for that matter. That he never truly remotely considered it, as the mere thought of seeking a mate, of going on a harmless _date_ with someone that _wasn’t_ Bucky, made Steve’s gut roil unpleasantly. 

Even now, after finding and making new friends in this strange, new era, Steve was hesitant to tell anyone the truth, that after all this time, after everything he’d been through, even when he thought Bucky was gone, he was still hopelessly in love and pining for an alpha that would never see him as anything more than a friend.

The omega wasn’t ashamed of his feelings for the alpha, that wasn’t why he feared telling people the truth. Rather, what Steve truly feared was _Bucky_ finding out the truth. Though Steve knew such a thought was irrational, part of his mind was convinced that if he actually voiced his feelings towards Bucky to anyone, the truth would somehow reach the alpha. Almost as if the very words themselves would become tangible once voiced and purposely seek out the alpha to spill the omega’s secret.

Back before his fall into the ice, there were only two people that knew of Steve’s feelings for Bucky—his mother and Peggy. Yet Steve hadn’t actually confessed the truth to either of them. No, instead, both women had figured out the truth all on their own. 

Sarah Rogers had realized her son was in love with his best friend months before Steve turned fifteen, but only dared speak to him one night when Steve was locked away in his room, looking absolutely heartbroken because Bucky had announced earlier that he was going on a date with some beta girl from their high school. Though his mother had promised to keep the fact a secret between them, she asked Steve to consider telling Bucky the truth one day. Steve had said that he would try, but three years later, when Sarah passed away, the shared secret returned to being a mere thought, forcefully hidden and locked in the back of the omega’s mind. 

With Peggy, however, the truth had come out in a slightly more awkward manner. It’d happened a few days after Steve found and rescued Bucky from the HYDRA base. The omega had lied, telling Bucky he was going to ask Peggy out the following day, but he never did. Peggy, however, did approach him instead. She asked him to join her for dinner the day after that, and Steve, still feeling rather unsure of Peggy’s true intentions, but unable to say no to the kind, beautiful alpha, had tentatively said yes. During their dinner, they’d had a pleasant meal, and had talked amicably about various things. But after they’d left the restaurant to take a stroll around town, to Steve’s absolute shock, the alpha had tried to kiss him. Immediately, Steve had backed away and apologized, before trying to explain that while he thought Peggy was a brilliant, beautiful alpha, and that any omega would be lucky to be the target of her affections, he only saw her as a good friend.

Peggy had merely let out a quiet sigh, before giving Steve a gentle, sympathetic smile as she asked him if his heart was already taken. For a few seconds, Steve had merely stood there, surprised by the direct question, before he gave a nervous nod. Then, she’d taken a quick glance around them, even though Steve knew they were both alone in the empty park, and politely asked in a soft voice if it was because of Bucky, if he was the one Steve had his heart set on. 

Panic had seized the omega then, making his heart go rigid with fear for a beat before it began to thud anxiously away in his constricted chest. Unable to speak, Steve had merely forced himself to give another tenuous nod in response. From there, after Peggy helped calm Steve down from his burst of anxiety, the two agreed to remain friends, and the alpha swore she’d keep the truth a secret as well.

It wasn’t until Steve was able to locate and visit Peggy in the present, just a few months after being pulled from the ice, that the omega found out Peggy did in fact keep his secret all those years he was gone, and that, even now, she continued to do so for him. 

Though Steve knew he could trust Natasha and Sam, a part of him still didn’t want to tell them the truth, especially given their current situation, and everything that’d happened leading to it. As much as it pained Steve to admit, given the fact that Bucky was captured and forged into the Winter Soldier by HYDRA all those years ago, and taking into account the things he’d been forced to do on their behalf during that time, there was no denying how his friends, his teammates, saw Bucky. They didn’t see the alpha like Steve did—they didn’t see him as _Bucky_ , an amiable, charming, yet goofy alpha—instead, they saw him as the Winter Solider, a weapon, an enemy. The omega understood why, given that they didn’t know Bucky the way he did, that they hadn’t spent most of their life with the alpha by their side, but even so, the fact that his friends saw Bucky as someone dangerous hurt Steve more than he was willing to admit. 

It was because of this that the omega became even more reluctant to disclose his feelings for the alpha. What would his friends think? What would they say to him? 

Taking into account how they’d fought not just Bucky, but seemingly all of HYDRA, only just a few days ago, and how S.H.I.E.L.D. had fallen apart before their very eyes as a result, confessing that he was in love with the Winter Solider didn’t seem all that appropriate to the omega. Especially when all Steve could think about was how days ago, Sam had said Bucky wasn’t the kind of person you save, that he was the kind you _stop_. 

Had Sam changed his mind since then? Given that Bucky had saved him, did the beta now think the alpha was worth saving? And what about Natasha? What did she think about all this to begin with? Steve knew Natasha had run into Bucky during a mission, before the whole S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA fiasco, that he’d actually shot her. Would such a past encounter make her think Bucky wasn’t fit to be saved either? Truthfully, though Steve knew he could ask her, fearing her answer, the omega chose not to say anything. 

The omega didn’t even want to consider what the rest of his teammates, the rest of the Avengers, might think and say if they knew everything as well. Just thinking about it made a pit of unease settle uncomfortably deep inside his gut, because though Steve didn’t wish it, eventually, everyone would find about Bucky, about him being the Winter Soldier, how they were ( _are_ —Steve so desperately wished to correct) best friends from before. What would they think of Bucky? Would they think he was worth saving? Or would they see him as a threat that had to be stopped? What would they think if Steve told them that, despite everything, he was _still_ in love with the alpha?

Perhaps in the future, when Steve could better fortify himself for the daunting task, and when everything was slightly better, perhaps then the omega could come clean to everyone. 

For now, all Steve wanted was to bring Bucky back and help him as best as he could, to protect him from everyone, to keep him safe. Even after all this time, Steve’s heart remained true—it could only ever be Bucky, he was the only alpha Steve would happily accept as a lover, as a mate, as a bondmate. So if they couldn’t be together, if they could only remain as good friends, Steve would gladly take it—he would never take or accept anyone else, even if it meant he’d end up dying alone. And though the omega knew his heart would forever ache at the thought of being unable to claim Bucky as his alpha, Steve would force himself to remain strong. 

When Natasha subtly cleared her throat, Steve quickly pushed those worried thoughts from his mind and put himself back in the present. 

“And you’re not a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent,” the red-haired alpha pointed out with the raise of a questioning eyebrow, almost as if she was silently asking ‘why exactly are you giving me all these excuses, Steve? you’re a single omega, she’s a single alpha, she clearly likes you, why won’t you give her a chance?’ and was trying to suss out the truth. 

“What was her name again?” Steve felt like he should ask as he made himself face the alpha, hoping Natasha would take it as a slight hint of possible interest to draw her away from possibly questioning him about his reluctance to go on a date with any of the people she’d brought up. 

“Sharon,” the red-haired alpha offered him a grin, “she’s nice.” 

When Steve merely gave the alpha a wobbly smile in return, Natasha only gave a short sigh before she leaned forwards and placed a fleeting kiss on the omega’s cheek. 

“Be careful, Steve,” she cautioned in a quiet voice, the grin from before was gone, replaced by a serious, concerned expression as she glanced down at the folder in Steve’s hands before fixing her gaze on the omega’s face, “you might not want to pull on that thread.” 

As Natasha turned and walked away, Steve let himself look at her retreating back for a moment as he pondered her words before he let out a breath of air and averted his eyes back down to the cover of the manila folder. Yet as soon as Steve opened the folder and he spotted the large, unmistakable picture of Bucky that took up the entire left side of the folder, his heart stilled. 

In it, the alpha’s eyes were closed shut, his features relaxed as if he were fast asleep, but as Steve processed the fact that Bucky had been put in some sort of cryo-chamber, that he’d likely been forcefully frozen against his will at one point or another, as if he were some kind of object to be stored away until he could be used, his heart gave a painful lurch and a burst of fury took root inside his chest. Yet the second Steve’s eyes spotted the small squared, faded black-and-white headshot of Bucky in his uniform on the bottom right of the larger blue photo, the anger instantly vanished and was replaced by crushing sorrow. 

Perhaps Natasha had a point, perhaps she was right and him doing this was going to lead to nothing but trouble and more pain, but this was _Bucky_. His best friend. The one person who stood and stayed by his side through everything since they were just kids. The one person who, even after all these years, still owned his heart. 

Now that he knew Bucky was alive, Steve’s mind was set. No matter what happened, Steve swore to himself that he was going to do everything he possibly could to find and get Bucky back, and he wasn’t going to let anyone, not even his new friends and teammates, get in his way.

“You’re going after him, aren’t you?” Sam asked as he slowly approached Steve. 

“You don’t have to come with me,” Steve added quietly as he closed the folder and turned to stare wearily at the beta. 

“I know.” Sam paused before met the omega’s gaze. Then, to Steve’s surprise, a reassuring smile bloomed on the beta’s face as he added, “So, when do we start?”


End file.
